The newspaper business was built for a world where one product served everyone and advertising paid for most of it. That model has gone. What replaces it is still being worked out title by title, from national groups to weeklies covering a single town.
Reader revenue is the clearest shift. Even Reach, which argued for free access for years, now puts some of its journalism behind a paywall, and the regional titles doing best changed their newsrooms before they asked anyone to pay. Ownership keeps changing too. National World rebuilt local editorships after years of centralisation, and the Observer is being reinvented as a premium print and digital title under new owners.
The strongest publishers understand the difference because they are not trying to be everything to everyone. They are trying to be essential to someone.
Chris Sherrard News media
Local news is where the pressure shows most. Millions of people now live without a dedicated local title, and new reader-funded and membership startups are moving into the gaps. Platforms are pulling back from news at the same time, which leaves trust and a direct relationship with readers as the assets that matter most.
Print hasn't disappeared either. Well-run weeklies still hold on to their readers, with circulation falling slowly while digital audiences grow.
Below you'll find some of our best feature articles on news media, from reader revenue and newsroom change to ownership, local news and trust, alongside our latest news and industry commentary.
Where is the growth opportunity for today’s publishers? Douglas McCabe tracks how the commercial model has evolved over the past fifty years and examines whether a better understanding of what online audiences want, will help drive future growth.
We asked Chris Sherrard, editor-in-chief of The Irish News, what does best practice publishing look like in news media? This is what he said…
After years of resisting paywalls, Reach is now launching them across its titles. But David Higgerson, Reach’s chief content officer, carefully avoided the word ‘U-turn’ when interviewed by Steve Dyson.
It’s one thing to think that readers should pay for your journalism, but the reality is that unless you improve your offering, then you will struggle to start charging for it, as DC Thomson Editor-in-Chief Frank O’Donnell tells Ciar Byrne.
How can you edit a regional newspaper when you never visit the area you’re writing about? By filling it with generic content, an approach that National World’s David Montgomery, the new owner of JPI Media, is rapidly doing away with.
Ray Snoddy talks to Co-CEO Rich Furness about the thinking behind Tortoise Media’s acquisition of the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper and about their plans for its future.
What’s the outlook for national news media in 2024? Christian Broughton, CEO of The Independent, looks ahead.
There is a new generation of entrepreneurs launching local media businesses, bringing with them new ideas on business models and funding. Phil Clark looks at some of the stand-out examples.
With Meta backing away from ‘news’ and AI accelerating the growth of disinformation, we need to redouble our efforts to safeguard access to quality journalism, says News Media Association Chief Executive Owen Meredith.
East Lothian is not just the best place to live – it has the best newsbrand too. Alan Geere heads over the border to find out what’s happening in the world of Scottish weeklies.
Telegraph Media Group (TMG) has partnered with Windows 7 to develop a microsite on The Telegraph as part of Microsoft’s current multi product Christmas campaign to bring families together.
Brightcove, a leading global provider of cloud content services, has announced the general availability of Brightcove App Cloud, a content app platform for building and operating engaging native apps for Apple iOS and Google Android smartphones and t
The President of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, has become the first head of state to endorse the Declaration of Table Mountain, which calls for repeal of criminal defamation and 'insult' laws and for putting press freedom higher on the agenda in Africa.
Atex, a global software solutions provider for media-rich industries, is strengthening its position by teaming up with Zissor, a world-leading supplier of end-to-end solutions for industrial conversion of newspapers and other physical documents to el
www.marieclaire.co.uk, the website from upmarket fashion glossy Marie Claire, is revealing a refresh to mirror the premium experience of the magazine.
Mag+ has announced two new offerings for its tablet publishing platform allowing more creatives and publishers to join the digital content revolution.
Metro, the urban media brand has announced a partnership with train operator ScotRail that sees a high profile advertising campaign launch at some of Scotland’s busiest stations.
Atex, a global software company providing solutions for media-rich industries, has announced a new partnership with Dell China, which will strengthen its presence in the Asian media marketplace and its offering to existing customers.
The President of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, will sign the Declaration of Table Mountain, which calls for the repeal of criminal defamation and insult laws in Africa, at a ceremony at the Palais des Congres in Niamey, Niger, on Wednesday, 30 November,
Northcliffe Media has announced the potential closure of the Medway News and East Kent Gazette as part of a review of its activities across Kent and the wider South East.
Facebook last week picked up the coveted Mobile Site of the Year award at the influential annual .net Awards, the UK’s longest-running internet awards – with mobile internet dominating in many of the categories.
The Financial Times has launched a new FT web app for the Indian market, available directly through a web browser at app.ft.com/india, for the Apple iPad and iPhone.
Metro has appointed Phil Offord as Finance Director. Phil was previously in the role of Head of Finance at Metro, which he assumed in January 2011.
Leading Asian publishers ended a three-day examination of online, mobile, tablet and social media on Friday, with part of their deliberations looking at content strategies. But the real focus was on how to profit from all their good content.
The winners of the 2011 Guardian Student Media Awards were announced at a ceremony this week.
